KALAMAZOO, MI — Kalamazoo County officials were joined by the Michigan Laborers and local citizens at a press conference to encourage a push for both state and federal funding to repair Michigan's roads and bridges.

The Laborers held a press conference at the Sprinkle Road bridge over I-94 as part of a national "Getting Schooled in Infrastructure" campaign put on by the Laborers' International Union of North America to urge Congress to pass a comprehensive Highway Bill this year.

The news conference featured a real school bus that has been crushed and carries a prop resembling a piece of a fallen bridge, something Arlandar Washington, business manager for the Laborers Local 355, said he hopes serves as a wakeup call to lawmakers.

"People are dying and being hurt because of their inaction and unwillingness to fix our roads," Washington said. "They need to get back to work and come up with solutions to make our roads safe to drive on again."

State Rep. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, also spoke at the conference along with Kalamazoo County Commissioner John Taylor, D-Kalamazoo. McCann said nearly 30 percent of Kalamazoo County bridges are structurally deficient and another 7 percent are failing, according to information from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

These numbers, paired with the fact that the average Michigan motorist pays an additional $357 per year in vehicle repairs and operating costs due to the poor condition of the state's roads means it's time for the Michigan Legislature to reconvene in Lansing to approve a long-term road funding package, something that wasn't achieved before they broke earlier this month for a legislative summer break, McCann said.

"There was no particular deadline or reason for us to break, other than that that was what was on the schedule," McCann said, adding that its time legislators listen to their constituents. "I was prepared and remain willing to go back to Lansing every day, drive the potholes to Lansing every day and get this job done."

Oshtemo Township Trustee Dusty Farmer, who is also a parent and teacher at Bangor Public Schools, spoke at the press conference as a concerned citizen, saying state lawmakers need to understand there is a job left unfinished as long as Michigan's roads go unfunded.

"I'm responsible for the education and safety for students in my classroom and I've worked to teach them a good work ethic so that when they don't have a job done, they have to come back and finish it," Farmer said. "I ask our legislators to do the same."

Alex Mitchell covers county government and taxes for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Email him at amitche5@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.